Before we decided to sell our house and move out of the L.A. area one of the last places that we wanted to go visit before we left was the NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California. Since we had never been there before this would be the first and only time that we would go to see the museum. Until then, we had only gone to see the drag races there just once before that but we had to leave early because the sound of the cars was way too loud for my very sensitive ears.
The museum is located on the grounds of the Los Angeles County Fair Grounds in Pomona, California. All of the cars and other exhibits in the museum can be seen within a couple hours of time in a single day.
The collection of cars and other items inside the museum is definitely worth your time for both racing and non racing fans alike. The museum's collection includes cars from the beginning years of drag racing all the way to the more modern cars that are used today.
The first section of the museum that we took a look at once we were inside housed some of the older cars and artifacts that are on display including the first dragster that was ever built called "The Bug" and a Bill Bailey mobile embroidery uniform station.
The next section of the museum that we saw was home to some more modern looking vehicles and artifacts including timing clock from the 1950's, a 900cc speed record bike and the world famous snake and mongoose funny cars that became a popular racing rivalry from the 1960's to the 1970's. These two cars were driven by Don "The Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "The Mongoose" McEwen.
The part of the museum that I liked the most was our next step on the self guided tour where Don Garlits' "Swamp Rat" top fuel dragster and John Force's iconic Castrol GTX funny car were on display. The "Swamp Rat" race car is famous for being the first drag racing vehicle of its kind to have the car's engine be positioned behind the driver's seat and cockpit area instead of in front of it.
As for the John Force race car, it was interesting to see that the driver's side door frame area had been removed so that visitors can sit in the driver's seat and experience what it is like to get behind the wheel of a very fast race car.
This is exactly what my dad Darryl did when we were there on our visit. Seeing Mr. Force's car there reminded me of the time many years ago when we went to a meet and greet event before the big Winternationals race and he took off the Castrol GTX sponsorship hat that he was wearing, signed and gave it to me to have as a souvenir!
Looking back on our visit to the museum, I can tell you that it was definitely nicer for me to not have to hear the loud rumble of car engines racing down the drag strip this time around. Before we left we also took a stroll through the gift shop but I don't think we ended up buying anything.
Tim Musick
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